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The Relationship between Quality of Life and Spirituality, Religiousness, and Personal Beliefs of Medical Students

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Abstract

Objective

This study investigated the effects of spirituality, religiousness, and personal beliefs on the quality of life (QOL) of medical students affiliated with a religious faith and those without affiliation.

Methods

Using a cross-sectional design, 275 medical students (78 % response rate) in their fourth and fifth year of study completed the WHOQOL-BREF quality of life instrument and the WHOQOL-SRPB module for spirituality, religiousness, and personal beliefs.

Results

For religious students, a larger range of characteristics of existential beliefs were positively related to quality of life. For all students, hope and optimism and meaning of life predicted higher scores on psychological.

Conclusions

For religious and nonreligious medical students, reduced meaning in life and hope were the strongest indicators of psychological distress. Interventions to improve the mental well-being of medical students may be more effective if aimed at teaching students how to find meaning and purpose in their lives and how to foster an enduring sense of hope and optimism.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are very grateful for the assistance provided by Mandy Tan and Kritan Chand, and also thank the 4th- and 5th-year medical students for their participation. This article was supported by a National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant (NRF-2010-361-A00008) funded by the Korean Government (MEST) and by a 2013 URO PBRF FHES Funding initiative from Auckland University of Technology.

Disclosures

None of the authors have a conflict of interest in relation to this publication.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand

    Christian U. Krägeloh & Rex Billington

  2. University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

    Marcus A. Henning & Susan J. Hawken

Authors
  1. Christian U. Krägeloh
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  2. Marcus A. Henning
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  3. Rex Billington
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  4. Susan J. Hawken
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christian U. Krägeloh.

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Krägeloh, C.U., Henning, M.A., Billington, R. et al. The Relationship between Quality of Life and Spirituality, Religiousness, and Personal Beliefs of Medical Students. Acad Psychiatry 39, 85–89 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-014-0158-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-014-0158-z

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